The Ultimate No-Equipment Home Workout

In light of the escalating situation of the coronavirus (COVID-19) globally?

many countries have started advising its citizens to stay at home as much as possible. Certain states in the United States and the United Kingdom for example, have shut down nonessential services like the gym to prevent further spread of the deadly virus. Luckily nobody cancelled delivery yet so a pandemic might just be the perfect time to start building your home gym or to stock up on some resistance bands.

However, to cater to those whose gyms have closed, not ready to stock up on equipment or are simply afraid of heading out, here’s a full-body bodyweight workout routine that can be completed right at home for #mentalhealth. Best part? There’s absolutely no equipment needed–not even resistance bands!

If you already have the GymStreak app, you can check out a big collection of home workout exercise to choose from. Here is a little example of - how to add a custom body weight workout.

Otherwise let’s get right into it!

Diamond push-ups

Targets: Chest and Triceps

We’ll be substituting bench press for diamond push-ups. Now, you may be wondering: “Why not just normal push-ups?” Well, that’s because research has shown that this particular hand placement (i.e. narrow, diamond-shaped) elicits higher chest and triceps activation in comparison to both the shoulder-width and wide hand placement.

Here’s how to perform the diamond push-ups:

Get into the push-up position with your back straight.
Move your hands together, forming the ‘diamond’ shape with your index fingers and thumbs directly below your face. This is your starting position.
Slowly lower your body toward the floor while keeping your back straight.
Go down as far as you can, pause, then slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat for as many repetitions as required.

If you find that this exercise is too easy for you, consider adding resistance by strapping on a loaded backpack. Otherwise, you can also get someone to sit on your back while you perform the exercise!

Modified handstand push-ups

Targets: Shoulders

Who said it was impossible to train shoulders without equipment? In addition to building up your shoulder strength, the exercise is also great for training your core!

Here’s how to perform the modified handstand push-ups:

With your toes in contact with a raised surface like a chair (or you can simply straighten your legs), adopt a push-up position, so your hands are directly underneath your shoulders.
Raise your hips toward the ceiling until your torso is almost perpendicular to the floor and your legs almost parallel to the floor. This is your starting position.
Lower your head toward the floor between your hands by flexing at the elbows. Be careful not to flare your elbows.
When the top of your head comes into contact with the floor, push through your hands, and extend at the elbows until you have returned to the starting position.
Repeat for as many reps as necessary.

Once you get comfortable with performing these, you can progress to doing handstand push-ups against the wall. The more upright you get, the more you activate your shoulders. If you're worried about falling on your head, put a pillow under to soften the blow, should it happen!

Table inverted row

Targets: Middle back

Other than working on the thickness of your back, this exercise also activates your biceps, forearms, grip, and all the stabilizer muscles that you can think of! So, we need to include it within our full-body home workout routine.

Here’s how to perform the table inverted row:

Lay down under a solid table (make sure it’s solid!), with your arms vertically to the edge of it.
Hold the edge with an overhand, wider-than-shoulder width grip.
Just as you would in a regular, inverted row, pull yourself up until your chest touches the table. Do not let your hips sink.
Hold this position for a short moment and lower yourself in a controlled manner back to the starting position.
Repeat for as many reps as necessary.

If your table is too high, you can always start the movement with bent knees. The movement gets more challenging as you become more horizontal to the ground.

On the other hand, if the movement is too easy for you, consider strapping on a weighted backpack. You can also consider using the ‘TRX’ suspension system we’ll introduce under the ‘Towel bicep curls’ section.

Sliding lat pulldowns

Targets: Lats

This might get you weird stares around the house, but hey, who cares? This exercise shows that it’s possible to work your lats even without a pull-up bar in the house! How amazing.

Here’s how to perform the sliding lat pulldowns:

Hold a pair of shoes in your hands–their soles will help give you grip against the floor.
Lie with your chest down on the floor, with your hands ahead and slightly wider than shoulder-width in front of you. This is your starting position.
Using the shoes’ grip on the floor as leverage, squeeze your lats and pull your body toward your shoes. Think of it like doing a horizontal lat pulldown.
Use your arms to push you back to the starting position.
Repeat for as many reps as necessary.

To progress this exercise, create more resistance against your sliding action by pressing your feet into the ground.

Towel bicep curls

Targets: Biceps

Now, it’s time to work those biceps, which haven’t been given special attention to–till now.

Here’s how to perform the towel bicep curls:

Take two towels and tie a basic knot at the end of them. A bigger range of motion is always better, so if you can, take longer towels.
Throw it over one of your doors and close the door. You now have a homemade TRX suspension trainer!
Stand facing your towels with feet hip-width apart.
Hold the end of your towels in front of you, palms facing upwards (to the ceiling). Your body should be at a 45-degree angle to the ground. This is your starting position.
Contract your biceps and pull yourself forward.
Extend arms, then bend elbows to return to the starting position.
Repeat for as many reps as necessary.

In most cases, your bodyweight is going to be enough resistance for you. Nonetheless, if this exercise is too easy and you’re practically flying up toward the towels, consider strapping on a weighted backpack!

Jumping lunges

Targets: Quads and Glutes

For most of us, there's no denying it: bodyweight squats just aren't going to cut it. So, we'll have to increase the resistance (and difficulty level) by performing jumping lunges. Trust us; this exercise will annihilate your quads and glutes!

Here’s how to perform lunging lunges:

Starting in a standing position, step back with your right leg and dip down into a low lunge.
With your hands at your side, jump and straighten both legs while swinging your arms down to help propel yourself upward, landing back down into your lunge.
Continue jumping for the required reps.
Repeat, only this time, stepping back with your left leg instead.

Once again, if you’re practically reaching the ceiling with these, strap on a weighted backpack.

Sliding hamstring curls

Targets: Hamstrings

For the last exercise, we’ll make use of both knee and hip extension to work the hamstrings.

Here’s how to perform sliding hamstring curls:

Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent. Place your feet on something slippery that’ll help them slide on the floor (e.g. plastic sheets or even clingwrap).
Slide your feet along the floor toward your body, simultaneously raising your hips. You should form a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
Pause, then slowly slide your legs back to the starting position.
Repeat for as many reps as necessary.

Don’t worry if this is too easy: you can always perform this exercise with one leg at a time. Feel the burn!

Alright, that’s all the exercises we have for now. Oh, don’t forget about your abs, too! We've got this killer article out for advanced abs exercise ideas. If you’re still unsure of how to perform the exercises in this article, no worries. Download GymStreak, the AR-enabled personal trainer app. We have a ton of simulations for bodyweight exercises on the app. Project, and learn in real-time. It’s that simple. In the meantime, do take care and stay safe!